Nyuk nyuk nyukki.

For some reason, I've been thinking about gnocchi for the past several days. Not sure why. Who am I to question?? So today's another day off waiting for floor progress to be made (finally! it's actually being installed as I type!!) and what else can I do around the house but cook and clean?

Well, I cooked, anyway.

Today's adventure in the kitchen was brought to you by both Padma Lakshmi and Lidia Bastianich; unlikely companions, I know, but their books are good and I wanted to eat the food they write about.

I have made gnocchi once before and it was a dismal failure. I tried making a recipe for beet gnocchi several years ago, and the dough was too soft and the whole mess ended up looking like a pile of slimy pink brains on my plate. It was disgusting. So naturally, I thought I'd try it again! Only this time I made it with sweet potatoes, so at least I would avoid the whole zombie aspect of my last attempt. I'm proud to say that it was a success this time around.



I also took the liberty of doing a little experiment just for you, Elaine...and also to try to use up, yep, more whole wheat pastry flour. That bag, I swear, has become my own little modern-day Miracle of Hanukkah. It's bottomless! I made one batch of gnocchi with white flour and one with whole wheat. The white flour version is a touch firmer, but the taste is virtually the same and the whole wheat version is a little better for you. I'd do it again with wheat.

But not brains.

Offerings:
Chai Latte
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Chili Honey Butter
Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Chai Latte
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

I am not a big chai latte lover at coffee places. They're always too, I don't know, cloying or something. So don't ask me why I thought I'd try it at home...but there was something about the ingredient list that jumped out at me, so I forged ahead. Plus I thought it would be nice to have a chai-smelling kitchen for the morning. Padma has not steered me off course yet, and this was no exception. I am now a convert, but I'll continue making my own, thanks.

makes 4 1-cup servings

4 cups water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp loose black tea
2 tsp honey
3 tsp brown sugar
1 cup while milk (I used skim, but whole would be downright dessert-y; definitely splurge if you're making this at Christmas)

1. Bring the water, ginger, cardamom, and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the tea, milk, sugar, and honey. Steep and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Strain into 4 mugs. Serve with whipped cream if you've been particularly well-behaved. Or even if you haven't!


Chili Honey Butter
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

Seriously, if you don't absolutely want to lick out the bowl after you've made this, there's something wrong with you.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 T honey
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used ground chipotle)
salt

1. Stir all the ingredients together and add salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2. Spend the rest of the day wondering why, oh WHY, is butter so bad for you? Gah.


Sweet Potato Gnocchi
adapted from Lidia's Italian-America Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich



I made several changes to Lidia's original potato gnocchi recipe, and I've written it as I made it. The instructions look long and daunting, but really you're just making a soft dough and then rolling it into ropes to cut into gnocchi. Don't wear fancy jewelery for this.

makes approximately 6 3/4c servings

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 3/4 cup white flour or whole wheat pastry flour, plus more as needed

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for about an hour or until soft.
2. Let cool until you can safely peel the skin off (it will just slip off).
3. Put the potatoes through a ricer (or mash them really well; don't try to make ghetto potatoes by smushing them through the holes in your colander, it's just not worth the mess.)

Theoretically this should work...


Ugh. Ick. Glop. Emergency trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a ricer.

4. Spread the potatoes out in a thin layer to allow as much moisture escape as possible.
5. When the potatoes are cool, whisk the eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add a little bit of flour to the eggs and stir to make the eggs thick an un-runny.
6. Pile the potatoes on a floured board and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and knead with your hands to incorporate. This is going to be messy!
7. Add flour, a 1/2 at a time, and knead until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Lidia says not to knead for longer than 10 minutes and to add just enough flour so it's not terribly sticky. The more you knead, the stickier it'll get, and the more flour you'll have to add.
8. Divide the dough into 6 portions.
9. Using floured hands, roll each portion out into a 1/2" diameter rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces.
10. Roll each piece into a ball. Using your thumb, press each ball gently onto the tines of a fork to make little indents (like peanut butter cookies). Use flour as needed to keep the gnocchi from sticking to your thumb and the fork.
11. Cook them immediately in boiling water for 5 minutes, or freeze them in a single layer and store in a plastic bag for later use. Serve with Chili Honey Butter, parmesan cheese, sage butter, or any other delectable topping.


Getting ready for the freezer.